Quinn smiled at Toby’s final statement and nodded, wordlessly tailing the courier back toward town. Goodsprings was so quiet and empty compared to Freeside and the Strip, and while the peace was nice, it was strange. She missed the bustle of the ruined city she called home. It was rather lonely here out in the wastes. Which, she supposed wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, it had its advantages, but it wasn’t for her. She was looking forward to going back, she hadn’t been separated from her father for an extended period of time in a very long while. Still, she was thoroughly intrigued with Tobias and how he was tied to the man she had been working and living with since she was seventeen. It was all very odd. 

She followed her new companion into the Saloon, the sound of a heated discussion meeting her ears as they stepped through the threshold. She wasn’t particularly interested in what the scruffy looking man was arguing about with Trudy, though the name Ringo was mentioned. Not that the title meant anything too her. She had been subject to worse disputes in her day. However, her eyes narrowed when the man roughly pushed Toby aside and was headed for her, though she sidestepped before he could touch her, the jackass taking another moment to stare as he left before disappearing back out into the wastes. Probably leering at her damaged eye. She was used to it at this rate. 

Tobias asking Trudy about the disagreement brought her attention toward the bar, crossing the room to stand next to him as he questioned the bartender. Apparently Ringo was in trouble with the Powder Gangers. Nasty bunch, she had spotted a tussle between them and a few raiders, but avoided the conflict while she was tracking Victor. She wasn’t sure how she felt about Tobias volunteering them to aid the town, but her expression remained neutral, not indicating whether or not she was in favor of or against the idea. On one hand, she wanted to get the hell out of dodge as soon as possible, but on the other, she wasn’t going to risk Tobias getting put six feet under a second time. She needed to know what role he played in all this. Plus, he seemed very kind and was nice to her. People like that were hard to come by.

Her face changed when the Great Khans were mentioned. Of course she knew them, how could she not? Though not directly Strip affiliated, they weren’t an uncommon sight in the casinos, and the wastes were crawling with them, as she had discovered in her recent travels. What would they want with House’s poker chip? It had to be more than just a game piece. It was something important enough to kill over, now she just had to find out what it did that made it so valuable. She pursed her lip and crossed an arm over her abdomen, lifting her other to rub her chin as she thought.

 [color=CDB5CD]”The Great Khans, absolutely. They’re one of the bigger gangs in the Mojave. Bunch of assholes, I tend not to mess with them. I’m just glad they haven’t sunk their teeth into the Strip just yet,”[/color] she explained, pausing for a moment and putting her hands on her hips. Her eyes stared off into the distance as if recalling unpleasant memories before she looked back at Tobias and continued, [color=CDB5CD]“The suit, I can’t say it rings a bell, people wear some weird stuff out there. But if those thugs that did this to you really are with the Great Khans, I’ll bet they’ll be heading back to the city, especially if they’re moving up toward Quarry Junction.”[/color]

This was a solid lead, and it gave her a lot to think about. Maybe Victor might know something. He was obviously hiding information from her, and she was dying to know why the robot was suddenly so secretive. Regardless, she was going to find out what was going on, with or without the securitron’s help. 

[color=CDB5CD]“So,”[/color] she went on, [color=CDB5CD]“Where might we find that Ringo guy? Sooner we get him out of here, the sooner we can catch the bastards that capped you in the noggin.”[/color] Being helpful wasn’t really her style, but he seemed set on helping the town so maybe she could speed up the process. Tobias seemed like kind of a Yes-Man type, but genuine in that he really wanted to help, to her surprise. Not naive, just, nice. She just hoped that wouldn’t get him killed. Again.

When Quinn mentioned she did know of the Khans, Tobias listened to her impression of them thoughtfully, the side of his mouth quirking upwards as he heard her talk about how unpleasant they were. [color=CD3700][i]I knew tracking down these guys wasn't gonna be easy, but that doesn’t make the prospect of going after them any more exciting. Not sure I have any other options than that if I want to find out why they needed me [/i]dead[i], but still.[/i][/color] The knowledge that she was as clueless about the guy in the checkered suit as Trudy wasn’t exciting, either, but from what he could surmise, it sounds like his primary pursuer was definitely from The Strip, and either had ties with the Khans that let him use them as backup, or he’d paid them handsomely to assist him in his strange quest. And while he knew nothing of its significance, Toby was intelligent enough to gather that the chip he’d been carrying must’ve been more than just that.

[color=CD3700]“They sound lovely,”[/color] the courier commented dryly, [color=CD3700]“But if they’re headed back to the city, it’s likely they’re still with the guy I’m - we’re - looking for.”[/color]

It still felt a little odd, having someone traveling with him now. Though his recent memory might be completely and totally obliterated, it was evident to him that he was very accustomed to traveling solo. But, provided he didn’t do anything stupid that would put his new companion into danger, it might prove to be a pleasant change. He wasn’t used to people sticking their necks out for him, and he hoped to be able to repay the favor. 

As they walked out of the saloon, Toby replied to her question about Ringo’s whereabouts, hypothesizing, [color=CD3700]“If I was a guy trying to stay outta dodge around here, I’d either pick the old school-house or the gas station. And considering the school yard is swarming with mantises, I think it’s a safe bet to say he’s in the latter of the two. Certainly doesn’t hurt to start there, I’d think.”[/color]

He paused for a moment, a slightly guilty look crossing his face. [color=CD3700]“By the way… Sorry for jumping to volunteer both of us in there. You don’t have to take any part in this if you don’t want to, I wasn’t thinking when I spoke. I just got carried away with trying to repay this community with what they’ve done for me, and I’m an idiot for not asking your input beforehand.”[/color]

Tobias’ deduction of Ringo’s location made sense to Quinn, so she saw no reason to disagree. [color=CDB5CD]“We can check there first then,”[/color] she replied, turning and heading in the direction of the long abandoned structure.

At his apology, she was silent for a moment before shrugging nonchalantly. [color=CDB5CD]”Well, normally I would stay out of it, but considering I went to all the trouble pulling you out of an early grave, I’ve got to make sure no one puts you there again. Seems like a waste,”[/color] she said, looking over at him with a smirk. Her tone was good natured, not accusatory or bitter in the least. While lending a hand certainly wouldn’t be her first instinct, she could appreciate his sentiment and respect his courtesy. All they had to do was convince this guy to skip town, right? That shouldn’t take long, and then they could take Victor and make their way back to the Strip to get to the bottom of all this strange platinum chip business.

[color=CD3700]“Thanks. Nevertheless, from here on out, I'll do my best not to drag you into anything you'd rather not take part in.”[/color] Tobias rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, the two then falling into silence.

He pushed open the door to the ruined gas station carefully, going first but holding it ajar for Quinn to follow, in the off chance that there was trouble within. This proved to be a relatively smart move, as he heard the barely audible sound of something clicking, and turned just in time to see a [need description of Ringo] pointing a caravan rifle squarely at his chest. [color=CD3700]“Oh,”[/color] He couldn't say he'd expected to be in this kind of situation again [i]this[/i] soon.

[color=A4D3EE]“That’s close enough. Who are you, and what do you want with me?”[/color]

[color=CD3700]“Woah, easy there. I’m not here to start trouble.”[/color] Tobias raised his hands nom-threateningly. [color=CD3700]“I just came up here because Trudy told me you've got bad folks after you, and it's starting to prove dangerous to the others in town. I was hoping there was something I could do to help.”[/color]

The man visibly relaxed at Toby’s reassurance, his gun now positioned at a non-threatening angle. [color=A4D3EE]“Sorry about the gun. You just caught me off guard,  that's all. But you heard right.”[/color]

[color=CD3700]“So what was it that caused these guys to come after you like this?”[/color]

[color=A4D3EE]“My caravan was on the return trip from California and heading back up to the company branch in New Vegas when we got jumped. Not even a ‘drop your weapons and hands up’ before the bullets started flying. We put up a good fight, but there was too many of them. I took a few of the bandits down before I ran, so I figure their friends are out for revenge.”[/color]

Quinn entered the gas station after Tobias, and upon seeing an armed man, who she assumed was Ringo, her first instinct was to put a hand on the holt of her pistol. However, her companion was quick to talk him down, so she relaxed once more, automatically crossing her arms as she listened to what Ringo had to say. 

 [color=CDB5CD]”So, you’re just going to hide out here huh?”[/color] she asked bluntly, raising an eyebrow. She made no comment about the loss of his caravan, her focus was on finding a way to fix this powder ganger problem so that they could get a move on.

[color=A4D3EE]“I’m laying low for as long as I can,”[/color] he explained, eyeing Quinn briefly, [color=A4D3EE]“assuming the town doesn’t throw me to the wolves,” [/color]he turned his attention back to Toby,[color=A4D3EE] “I’ve got no chance against the gang on my own.”[/color]

The pale haired young woman was getting a hunch as to where this situation was headed. They weren’t going to be able to coax this guy out until the gang was dealt with, which probably meant lethal force. She exchanged a look with Tobias, though her own expression was fairly neutral and gave no indication as to what she was thinking. She had kind of resigned herself to following his lead at this point for the sake of finding this platinum chip and getting to the bottom of what was really going on concerning the House situation.
 
Tobias frowned, seeing where this was going and feeling a bit uncertain about it. As his eyes met Quinn's, he noted that she wasn't attempting to influence him one way or another. He figured this was probably because she knew as well as he did what the inevitable outcome of this conversation was to be. [color=CD3700]“I’m guessing safely skipping town wouldn't be a likely possibility for you then, would it?”[/color]

[color=A4D3EE]“‘Fraid not,”[/color] Ringo replied, a joyless, tired smile on his face as he added, [color=A4D3EE]“Chances are I’d be dead within a few minutes of leaving this building. There's no way I can see out of this that won't end in bloodshed.”[/color]

[color=CD3700]“I see,”[/color] Tobias conceded, offering tentatively, [color=CD3700]“Well, maybe there's something we could do to help?”[/color]

[color=A4D3EE]“Thanks for the offer, but we'd just end up sharing the same grave if it’s just the three of us against the Powder Gangers. Now, if some of the other people in town were also on board…”[/color]

Quinn didn’t like where this was going, but she knew exactly what Ringo was insinuating.  [color=CDB5CD]“So your going to expect these people to fight the Powder Gangers for you?” [/color]She asked bluntly with a raised eyebrow. She couldn’t say she was surprised, but that didn’t change the fact she annoyed. 

Although, she realized that she probably wasn’t helping their case and scratched the back of her head sheepishly and looked at the floor.  [color=CDB5CD]“Uh, I guess we could ask around though,”[/color] she amended,  [color=CDB5CD]“The Powder Gangers are a bunch of shit heads,”[/color] she added, looking up once more and crossing her arms. 

[color=A4D3EE]“Thanks. I'd suggest starting with Sunny Smiles. She’s been friendlier than most around here.”[/color]

[color=CD3700]“Alright. We should be back relatively soon, then.”[/color] Toby announced, turning towards the door.

[color=A4D3EE]“Yeah.”[/color]

The Courier was anything but enthused by the idea of spending his first day recovering from a nearly fatal head wound charging headlong into another potential skirmish, especially with clearly violently-minded individuals on the opposing side, but it’d sit poorly on his conscience to leave Ringo to certain death, especially if it meant the Powder Gangers would potentially use that otherwise inevitable outcome to start pushing around other Goodsprings residents. Since Goodsprings had harbored the trader in the first place, that put them, albeit indirectly, in danger. All he could really hope for now was to get this matter resolved as cleanly as was possible.

As soon as they exited the gas station, Toby sent Quinn an apologetic look. [color=CD3700]“Can’t say I was expecting him to try and get even more people involved, but maybe if we get enough people armed and willing to help, we could intimidate the Powder Gangers into backing off.”[/color]

The expression on Quinn’s face was akin to someone who had just tasted something exceedingly sour or foul as she stared down Ringo with her good eye, turning to follow Toby back out into the heat of the maturing day. If it had been left up to her, the Powder Gangers could have him; Ringo’s breed was a common one in the wastes, the kind that didn’t mind letting others’ blood be shed to save some skin. But Tobias seemed set on getting him out of the scrape the ex-trader had wound up in. The courier’s kindness and patience caught her off guard, though she would never comment on that. 

She cast a glance over at him and shrugged when he spoke,  [color=CDB5CD]”They’re a bunch of bullies. Chances are, they’ll slink off at the sight of opposition. Especially if we can manage to use their own weapon against them.”[/color] By that, she meant explosives, of course. If the townsfolk lobbed a few dynamite if the thugs approached, it’d be over real quickly. Hopefully it wouldn’t come to that, but things usually tended to pan out in favor of violence, at least in her experience. 

 [color=CDB5CD]”So,”[/color] she went on, looking over at the town with a furrowed brow,  [color=CDB5CD]”Any idea where we could find this ‘Sunny Smiles’?”[/color] she asked, tucking her hands in the pockets of her duster. He seemed much more ready to deal with the townspeople than she was, and might have a better idea as to how they could locate the whereabouts of this woman.

Tobias looked thoughtful as he nodded in acknowledgement of Quinn’s suggestion. [color=CD3700]“If we can get any, that’d be a good start. I can't say I know the first thing about dynamite and grenades and such, but I'm sure someone here does.”[/color] Truthfully, he was a little apprehensive about the idea of a two-sided explosives fight, but if that's how the Powder Gangers operated, this was a situation where fire might be successfully fought with fire.

When she mentioned Sunny Smiles, he merely shrugged. [color=CD3700]“No idea. We could always check with Trudy [i]again[/i], but maybe Victor would know, too.”[/color]

Quinn’s expression changed when Tobias suggested asking Victor. [color=CDB5CD]”We could start with him before bothering Trudy again. We might be able to get his help too. Securitrons pack a lot of fire power,”[/color] she pointed out. Besides, the robot had been hanging around here for quite some time, so he might very have an idea of where they could find Sunny. 

Not really waiting for an answer, she started off toward Victor’s shack at a brisk pace, tugging her hood over her loose pale hair to shield her from the sun. She was prone to burn very easily despite having spent the first half of her life mostly outdoors. Isaac told her she got that from her mother. Along with everything else; she looked nothing like him save for in their mannerisms.

Tobias hurried to keep up with her, feeling a bit more winded than he felt he deserved to for how little walking he had actually done that day. He hoped that he’d build back what endurance he’d lost over the next couple of days, but one way or another, he was going to have to tough it out. His impaired vision wasn't doing him any favors, either - he briefly wondered if he’d be any good in this fight against the Powder Gangers, considering that everything more than twenty yards out appeared to be indistinguishable, almost greasy smudges of color to him. [color=CD3700][i]So long as they don't have snipers, it shouldn't be a problem,[/i][/color] he tried to reassure himself, allowing himself to be pulled away from that train of thought as the two approached the personable Securitron. 

[color=9F703A]“Howdy, pardners! What can I do for you two?” [/color]Victor said by way of greeting, sounding as chipper as ever. 

[color=CDB5CD]”Hey, Victor,”[/color] Quinn greeted the securitron, her tone exceedingly warm compared the frost she used minutes ago with Ringo, [color=CDB5CD]”You wouldn’t happen to know where we might Sunny Smiles, hm? There’s trouble brewing with the Powder Gangers and we were told she could help,”[/color] she explained, peering at him from the shade of her hood. 

[color=9F703A]“Powder Gangers, huh? Nasty fellas. Well, Miss Smiles is usually hanging around the Prospector Saloon, so y’all best start there. Red hair, got a dog that follows her around,” [/color]he replied, gesturing back toward town.

Quinn was silent for a moment. [color=CDB5CD]”A, uh, dog, you say?”[/color] she said, both eyebrows raised an a lip pursed before continuing, [color=CDB5CD]”Thanks for your help. Also, one more thing. Should things go south and turn violent, would you come lend a hand?”[/color] she asked, clasping her hands together in a pleading fashion. 

Without hesitation, Victor agreed, [color=9F703A]“Well of course! Count me in.”[/color]

Quinn smiled and nodded, [color=CDB5CD]“Thanks Vic, take care,”[/color] she said as she turned to Toby to see what his input would be on the new information.

Toby listened politely as the two conversed, paying attention but happy to let Quinn do the talking. When their conversation ended and she turned towards him, he smiled appreciatively at her, saying, [color=CD3700]“That was smart thinking, asking Victor to help us out. The more of us involved in this thing, the less likely it is anyone’s going to get hurt too badly.”[/color] He paused, rolling his shoulders back languidly before starting to walk in the direction of Trudy’s saloon. [color=CD3700]“Once we’ve got Sunny on board, we should hopefully be a few steps closer to getting this whole mess over with.”[/color]

[h3](Collab: Part 3)[/h3]